Bumper for automobiles.



T. S. VIEROW.

BUMPER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. H, I912.

1,251,600. Patented Jan. 1,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

T. S. VIERDW. BUMPER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION F l Ll ID APKU; 1917. a Patented Jan. 1,1918,

2 SH:BETSSBEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS S. VIEBOW, 0F JERSEY CITY. NEW JERSEY.

pumrn'n ron AUTOMOBILES. b

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented J an. 1, 1918.

Application filed .April 17, 1917. Serial Ip- 103,8.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. Vumow, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Jersey City, in the county'of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bumperswhich ill be ellioieni in resisting Such .Y

as well as heavier shocks without materia damaging the bumper.

Anotner iou eta of my invention is to ()ne of the ob ects of my.

'provlde a bumper having a. main resilient bumper bar so supported thatit may bend when subjbcted to relatively light thrusts or Shocks, andwhereby when subjected to heavier thrusts or shocks the bar may becomemorcrigidjmi'der the strain imposed thcrcon without injury to the bar,since such supporting means may move m a. manner to prevent unduestraining of the bar beyond its elastic lmnt tb reduce danger of the barbecoming broken upon impact with an object, aml .lhc'reby to preventinjury to the \ebiclc by such object. I

Fin-then objects, and details of construction whereby my mvciition maybe carried out, will' be more fully hereinafter -ex plaincd, and thenpointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had-to the accompany iug: drawings forming parthereof, wherein,

Figure l is a. plan view of a portion of a motor vehicle equipped withmy improvenn-nts, illustrating a form of pivotal supporling means forthe bumper bar, Fig. 2 is a side view illustrating a supporting arm forthe bumper bar in'section, the section being taken substantially on theline 2, 2, in Fig. 3'; Fig. 3 view; Fig. 4 is a dctailscctional viewsubslantially on the line 4, 4", in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged dclalillustrating a portion of the buinpcr bar and its supporting means atone cnd;' Fig. (i is a section on the line 6, 6, in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is asection substantially on the line 7, 7, in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is is anenlarged detail plan -Fig. 8: Fig; 10 is a plan view of 113 imone of thesupportin arms ,forthc bumper bar; Iaig. 8 is'a detai of a modified formof pivotal supporting means for the bumper ar; Fig. 9 is a section onthe line 9, 9, in

proved bumper illustrating pivotal an lid: able supporting means for thebumper-bar; Fig. 11 is an enlarged plan view of part of Fig. 10; Fig. 12is'a side view'of Fig. 11 partly i'n section on the line 12, 12, in Fig.

11; Fig. 13 is an end view of Fig. 12; Fig.-

H is a section on the line 14, 14, in Fig. 12; and Figs. 15, 1'6 and 17illustrate'modified forms of springs to cooperate with the form ofbumper illustrated in Fig. 10.

Similar numerals of. reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral views The numeral 1 indicates a bumper bur adapted to besupported in front of a motor' vehicle, or on any other suitable partthereof. At 2 are supporting arms for the bumper bar. I have shown twoarms 2 spaced along the bar at suitable distances apart, which arms'arcpivo tally supported upon'the motor vehicle to limit longitudinal or-axia1- dis.-.

placement of the bar and to permit thebar to more relatively to the axisofthe pivots when meeting an obstruction, the pivota-lly suppi'n-tcdarms normally retaining the bar in proper position on he vehicle. In theform of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1' to 9, the arms 2 arcpivotally connected with the bar 1, and also pivotally connected withthe vehicle, whereas in the other figa 'detail perspective of an endportion of arcs of the drawings the arms 2 are shown rlgidly connectedto the bar and pivotally connected to the vehicle. To adjustably sc-'(surely and pivotally connect the outer ends of arms 2 to bar 1, I haveshown clamping members 3, 4 (Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 8) having opposing jaws3", 4, to grip bar 1, and

secured in position by bolt 5 or 1:2, there-arward edges of the members3, -l, abutting at (i (Fig. ti) whereby said members may be securelyretained on the bar in spaced relation to receive the adjacent end ofarm 2 llu-rcbetwrcn, bolt 5 passing through an opening in said arm forpivota lly supporting 1 )c adjacent part of the bar upon the arm (Fig.(3). The arms are shown similar in construction but projecting inopposite directions fron the: vehicle. The opposite ends of arms 2 areshown pivotally support ed on brackets T. which ale adapted to besecured in any suitable manner upon the forks 8, or other suitableportion of the ots 11 on the brackets, to rmit the bar to bend withoutstraining an one or both pivots 11 may slide in the slot 17 of thecorresponding bracket or brackets being however, by spring 15. Thebending (if bar 1' by reason of thrust a inst it will resist dan r offracture,'as be ore referred to, and if t e bar be struck inthe regionof arm 2 spring 15. may first resist the impact to an extent limited bythe length of slot 17.

A further advantage of my invention is that if the barbe'struck adjacentto its end laterally with-respect to its pivot 11, the

pivotal action of the supporting arms, or the sliding of thepivots, orboth, will have the tendency to resist the shock against the bar toprevent fracture of the latter. It. will be noted that the pivots 11,are dis need at one side of the longitudinal axis 0 the bar, so that thelatter, thus supported with respect to its-pivots, is in a positionfreely tohend when struck by or when encountering an object, withoutretardation'by its pivots, so

that the bar may move relatively to the axis strain upon the bar.

of the pivots to remove improvements the Inaccordance with in bar issupported in a rigid manner without dependence upon springs for itssupport, since the arms are rigid andyet can swing or turn on theirpivots to'pe it the bar to assume positions adapted to lieve the barfrom undue strain to limit danger of breaking or fracture of'the bar,

My improved bumper is facture and positive in its action, and thebrackets readily may be attached to the ve-- hicle and adjusted to therequired position alo the baito accommodate different) widt s of vehicleframes.

Changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangements .ofparts set forth, as the same may be varied' within the scope of theappended claims, .vithout depiirtingirom the s irit of the invention.

aving now descri ed my invention what I claim 1s: a V i 1. 'A bumper formotor vehicles comprising a flexible and resilient bar, and pivotalsupporting means pivotally connected adja cent to opposite ends of thebar and pivotally supported between the ends of the bar limitinlongitudinal displacement of the bar an permitting the bar and thepivotal means to move relatively to the axes of the pivo t8 2. A bumperfor motor vehicles compris- .i ing a resilient bar, arms pivotallyattached,

at one end to and spaced along the bar, brackets, means ivotallyconnectin the opposite ends of t e arms with the rackets, and means tolimit pivotal'action of said resisted,

cheap to manuone side 0 arms relatively to the brackets, whereby the barmay be supported from the vehicle and longitudinal movement of the'baris' limited permitting movementpf the adjacent portions of the barrelatively tothe correspondmg pivots.

3. A bumper ing a flexible bar adapted to extend across the vehicle,rigid horizontally disposed arms spaced apart upon the bar, meanspivotally connecting the arms with the bar, and means toseparatelypivot-ally support said arms upon the vehicle to permit said arms toswing horizontallyrelatively to the vehicle and to permit ad'Jacentportions of the bar to move re latively to the corresponding pivot andarm.

for motor vehicles comprisapart from the bar and adjustable along the Ibar and pivotally connected therewith, means to secure said arms'inadjusted positions on the bar, brackets, means to pivotally support thearms upon .the brackets to permit the bar and arms to move in ahorizontal direction, and means to secure said brackets upon thevehicle.

5. A b'umper for motor vehicles comprising a resilient bar'adapted' toexterid-across the vehicle and to bend in a horizontal direction, ri 'darms spaced apartupon the bar and a justablc" along the bar, 'meansto'secure saldarms in ad usted positionson thebar, means to pivotallysupport said arms to swing'horizontz'illy with the bar when the latter bendshorizontally, and means to support said pivotal means upon thevehicle. 6. A bum er for motor vehicles comprising a flexib e baradapted to extend acres the vehicle, spaced pivotal-means connected withthe bar, port said ivotal means upon the vehicle at the longitudinalaxis of the bar. 7. A bumper for motor vehicles compri's? ing aresilient bar adapted to extend across the vehicle, arms attached to thebar'and extendin at an angle to thelongitudinal axis thereo pivotalsupportin means for said arms located at one side 0 the longitudinalaxis of the bar, and means to secure the pivotal supporting means uponthe vehicle. Si ed at New York city. in the ,county Witnesses:

LUoY M. Vmaow, Bna'riuca Vnmow.

and means to pivotally' sup- 1 5 of ew York and State of New York this

